Car-seat



(No Model.)

H. S. HALE.

GAR SEAT.

n4: cams PETERS cc. Pnuam'uo.. WASHINGTON, D. cv

UNITED STATES YPATENT OFFICE.

HENRXT s. HALE, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-SEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 572,655, dated December 8, 1896. Appncaioniediuneir,1895. serrare. 552,796. (roman.)

` To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, HENRY S. HALE, of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Car-Seats, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to car-seats; and it consists of certain improvements which are described in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My improvements comprehend certain features of construction for dispensing` with the striker-arm and yet permitting the reversal of the seat and back in a positive and uniform manner. This I accomplish by the employment of a rotary shaft journaled in the main frame and provided with pinions at each end meshing with a segmental rack at each end of the vseat and back and guided upon suitable guideways, whereby the back is uniformly moved at the same velocity. To secure a movement of the seat-cushion simultaneously with the said back, I provide the cushion-frame with a rack meshing with a pinion upon the aforesaid rotating shaft. The seat-cushion is also provided with cam or suitable guides, which, while it is being shifted,

insures the cushion beinglowered as the backis being moved to a position directly above the seat-cushion, and vice versa, the object being to enable the guides forthe back being only slightly curved, whereby the back may have the requisite upright inclination for comfort and at the `same time be firmly secured to the side arms, which move in the guides. This construction is suoli that all pivoted levers are dispensed with and the simplest'construction alone relied on to secure the objects desired.

My invention further comprehends certain improvements whereby the seat-back may be attached to or detached from the segmental racks, so that it may be adjusted in position or removed therefrom forY repairs.

Other features of improvement, comprising details of constructiomare also comprehended in my improved car-seat and will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a cross-sectional elevation of a car-seatembodying my improvements, taken 011 line :1: of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of same, taken on line y y of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the segmentalracks. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of same, and Fig. 5 is a perspective View of one of the sockets for attaching the back to the segmental racks.

v A is the main frame, and may be of any suitable construction. It is commonly provided with the longitudinal bars B B, the parts adjacent to the end frames acting as supports for the seat-cushion shifting and tilting frame.

The ends of the main frame A are provided with guides G, preferably curved, as shown in Fig. 1. Fitted to these guides are segmental racks II, having upright arms I and grooved guides h. The teeth of the rack are indicated at M. y

Y The seat-back L is made with cushion-surfaces similar in shape upon both sides, and the end frames thereof are provided with socket-pieces K, which are adapted to fit over the upright arms I of the segmental racks H, as is clearly shown in Figs. l and 2. To insure the back being locked under ordinary conditions to the arms of the segmental racks, I provide a pivoted pawl J upon the pieces K, which is adapted to fall to one side or the other of a vertical line and lock with the lugs i of the arms I, as is clearly shown in Fig. l. It is evident that the back can only be removed from the segmental racks when it is P is a longitudinal shaft journaled in the main frame and has secured upon it-atA each end pinions N and O'. The pinions N-are preferably larger than the pinions O. The pinions N mesh with the teeth M of the segmental racks, so that when either rack is moved by a direct pressure the other rack of the' seat-back is caused to simultaneously ICO move with it and at the same velocity. This prevents any possibility of binding or necessity of racks on the main frame or movable pinions and shafts.

D is the seatecushion, and is supported upon the shifting frames C C, having camsurfaces c c, adapted to move upon the transverse bars or guides B B. The operation of these frames C C in being shifted is to move the seat cushion D forward or in the reverse direction to the movementof the seat-back, and at the same time tilt and raise and lower it. The frames C C are provided with racks F, which mesh with the under side of the pinions O, so that as the shaft P is rotated under the action of the seat-back and its segmental racks the seat-cushion is simultaneously moved in an opposite direction, but to a less distance. The vrack F is so shaped that the teeth properly mesh under the tilting actions of the frame C by the cam-surfaces and the supports for the seat-cushion in such manner that when the seat-back is in vertical position the seat-cushion has been lowered to the greatest extent and so as to just pass below7 the seat-back. This enables the guide G to be but slightly curved and the consequent securing of the right degree of Obliquity to the seat-back at its extreme positions. This lowering of the seat-cushion at its center while the seat-back is passing over it is accomplished by the cam-guides c, formed with swell and non-swell portions on each side, so disposed that when the seat-cushion is being shifted the non-swell portion on one side is acting simultaneously with the swell portion on the other side.

I do not confine myself to the mere details of construction,as they may be modified invarious ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame a shifting seat-back, segmental racks carried by the shifting seat-back and moving therewith, a shaft journaled in the main frame in stationary bearings, and pinions carried by the shaft and meshing with the movable racks carried by the shifting seat-back.

2. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame of the shifting seat-back provided on its ends with sockets, segmental racks provided with upwardly-extending arms engaging the sockets on the ends of the shifting seat-back whereby the seat-back is carried by the movable racks and moves therewith, a shaft journaled in the main frame, and pinions carried by the shaft and meshing with the movable racks which carry the shifting seat-back.

3. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame having transverse guides at each end, shifting arms guided in said transverse guides and movable bodily from one side of the main frame to the other, a seat-back detachably secured to the shifting arms by means of socket-pieces iitting upon the arms, and an automatic locking device for locking 4the back to the said arms at the eXtreme position of the back and unlocking it when in an intermediate position.

4. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame having transverse guides at each end, a longitudinal shaft journaled in said main frame and provided at each end with a pinion, a segmental rack guided upon the guides at each end of the main frame and meshing with the pinions, a seat-back secured to the segmental racks and movable with them, and a look located between the extreme positions occupied by the seat back and adapted to engage the segmental rack in either of its eXtreme positions upon the main frame.

5. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame having transverse guides at each end, a longitudinal shaft journaled in said main frame and provided at each end with a pinion, a segmental rack guided upon the guides at each end of the main frame and meshing with the pinions, a seat-back secured to the segmental racks and movable with them, a seatcushion, a reciprocating and tilting frame for the seat-cushion provided with a rack, and a pinion upon the longitudinal shaft meshing with the said rack for moving it and the cushion in a direction opposite to the movement of the back and simultaneously therewith.

G. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame having transverse guides at each end, a longitudinal shaft journaled in said main frame and provided at each end with a pinion, a segmental rack guided upon the guides at each end of the main frame meshing with the pinions, a seat-back secured to the segmental racks and movable with them, a seat-cushion, a frame at each end of the main frame supporting the cushion when being shifted provided with a rack near the lower part, and pinions upon the longitudinal shaft meshing with the rack of the .seat-frames.

7. In a carseat, the combination of the main frame, a longitudinal shaft journaled in the main frame and provided at each end with a large and small pinion, a seat-back provided with racks located on one side of the longitudinal shaft and meshing with the large pinions thereon, a seat-cushion, and shifting frames for said seat-cushions provided with racks located upon the opposite side of said longitudinal shaft and meshing with the small pinions thereon, whereby the seat-back and seat-cushion are simultaneously moved in opposite directions and to different extents.

S. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame, a longitudinal shaft journaled on the main frame and provided at each end with a large and small pinion, a seat-back provided with racks located on one side of the longitudinal shaft and meshing with the large pinions thereon, a seat-cushion, and shiftin g frames for said seat-cushion provided IOO IIO

with racks located upon the opposite side of said longitudinal shaft and meshing with the small pinions thereon whereby the seat-back and seat-cushion are simultaneously moved in opposite directions and to different extents, and a loc-k for locking the seat-back in its extreme positions.

.9. In a car-seat the combination with the main frame and movable side arms carried thereby, of a seat-back detachably carried by said side arms by means of socket-pieces receiving the arms, and an automatic gravityactuated lock between the socket-pieces and the side arms for locking the back to the arms when the back is in an inclined position and unlocking it and permitting the back to be detached and removed when in an upright position.

10. In a carseat,'thecombination with the side arms provided with racks, the seat-back carried by the side arms, a shaft journaled in the main frame and pinions on the shaft meshing with the racks carried by the side arms, of a shifting seat-cushion and powertransmitting connections between the seatcushion and the shaft on the main frame, whereby the rotation of the shaft through the rack and pinions when the back is moved will shift the seat-cushion.

11. In a car-seat the combination of the main frame, a shifting seat-back, segmental racks carried by the shifting seat-back one at each end thereof and moving therewith, and pinions j ournaled on stationary bearings at approximately the middle of the sides of the main frame and engaging the movable racks carried by the shifting seat-back.

12. In a car-seat, the back-shifting mechanism, embracing a segmental rack, of less than the width of the car-seat, carried by the shifting back and moving therewith, and a pinion meshing with the segmental rack and carried in stationary bearings in the car-seat frame,whereby,when the seat-back is shifted, the segmental rack travels upon .the toothed pinion and rotates it in its stationary bearings.

13. In a car-seat the main frame, the backshifting mechanism embracing a segmental rack structure of less width than the'width of the car-seat carried by the shifting back and moving therewith, and a vpinion structure meshing with the segmental-rack structure and carried by the main frame, in combination with a movable seat-cushion, and means controlled by the pinion -and-rack mechanism for lowering said seat-cushion upon moving the back over it.

14. In a car-seat the combination of the main frame, a shifting seat-back, segmental racks carried by the shifting seat-back one at each end thereof and moving'therewith, pinions journaled von stationary bearings at approximately the middle ofthe sides of the main frame and engaging the movable racks carried by the shifting seat-back, a movable seat-cushion, racks meshing with the pinions for shifting the seat-cushion, and guides for lowering the seat-cushion when the back is being moved toward a vertical position above the seat-cushion and vice versa.

' 15. In a car-seat, the combination with the side'arms provided with racks, the seat-back carried by the side arms, a shaft journaled in the main frame and pinions on the shaft meshing with the racks carried by the side arms, of a shifting seat-cushion and powertransmitting connections between the seatcushion and the shaft on the main frame, whereby the rotation of the shaft through the rack and pinions when the back is moved will shift the seat cushion, and suitable guides for lowering the seat-cushion when the back is being moved toward a vertical position above the seat-cushion and vice versa.

16. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame having transverse guides at each end, a longitudinal shaft journaled in said main frame and provided at each end with a pinion, a segmental rack guided upon the guides at each end of the main frame andmeshing with the pinions, a seat-back secured to the segmental rac-ks and movable with them,

a lock located between the extreme positions occupied by the seat-back and adaptedto engage the segmental rack ineither of its extreme positions upon the main frame, and suitable guides for lowering the seat-cushion when the 4back is being moved toward a vertical position above the seat-cushion and vice versa.

17. In a car-seat, the combination of the main frame, the shiftingback, a shifting seatcushion supported by the main frame, connections between the shifting back and seatcushion for shifting the latter when the former is moved, and cam-guides between the seat-cushion and main frame having swell and non-swell portions on each side so disposed that When the seat-cushion is being shifted the non-swell portion on one side is acting simultaneously with the swell portion on the other side, whereby the seat-cushion is lowered bodily at the center while the seatback is being shifted overit.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

HENRY S. HALE.

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